1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to an automatic transmission shift control device for automotive vehicles and more particularly to a gear position indicating arrangement in such an automatic transmission shift control device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A kind of automatic transmission shift control device includes a base bracket fixedly attached to a vehicle body, a shift lever swingably or rotatably supported on the base bracket, the base bracket being formed with a hollow gate portion for allowing the swinging or rotation of the shift lever, and an indicator for indicating a selected gear position. The indicator is installed on the upper end of the base bracket whilst allowing the shift lever to extend upward therethrough.
The indicator consists of an indicator cover formed with an elongated opening through which the shift lever extends and an indicator window, a slide plate placed under the elongated opening and movable together with the shift lever, a dial panel fitted in the indicator window and having marks indicating respective gear positions, and a bulb case accommodating a light bulb for lighting up the dial panel.
Each mark on the dial panel consists of graduations corresponding to the gear positions or speed ranges and marks of letters of alphabet such as "P", "R", "D" and "L" and figures such as "1" and "2". The graduations are positioned at one side of the dial panel nearer to the shift lever.
Arrangements of the control button at the top end of the shift lever, the dial panel and the bulb case in a left-hand drive vehicle need be reversed as compared with those in a right-hand drive vehicle. For this reason, it has heretofore been practiced to manufacture two kinds of automatic transmission shift control devices independently and install them on the respective kinds of vehicles.
In the shift control device, irrespective of whether it is used in a right-hand drive vehicle or a left-hand drive vehicle, the shift lever in the "P" position is held nearly perpendicularly to the vehicle floor and is shifted therefrom into the respective gear positions through rearward rotation of predetermined select angles.
Such select angles are for example determined so as to be within the following ranges. An angle between the "P" position and the "R" position is within the range from 10 to 11 degrees. An angle between the "P" position and the "N" range is within the range from 15 to 16 degrees. An angle between the "P" position and the "D" position is within the range from 20 to 21 degrees. The elongated opening of the indicator cover through which the shift lever extends is usually so sized that an excess part of the elongated opening to be provided forwardly of the shift lever in the "P" position is different in length from an excess part of the elongated opening to be provided rearwardly of the shift lever in the "L" position, "1" position or "2" position.
The indicator cover for indicating the gear positions of the shift lever shiftable into the above described angular positions is not a flat plate but bent forwardly and rearwardly so as to be formed into a curved shape of a predetermined radius of curvature. This is because the shift lever is adapted to swing or rotate forwardly and rearwadly about a center fixed on the base bracket and the shift control device disposed within the passenger compartment is so designed with a view to improving the appearance.
The automatic transmission shift control device of the above described kind is disadvantageous since two kinds of shift control devices for use in a right-hand drive vehicle and a left-hand drive vehicle must be manufactured independently, i.e., there, are almost no common parts for manufacturing the two kinds of shift control devices, resulting a high cost.